BOB DYLAN'S Friend Was A "Mere Mortal"
life and death of a mere mortal
"On nine one one, while the whole of America froze in fear and shock from the final acts of those true believers, Larry Kegan wasn't able to get his tracheotomy suctioned; he couldn't breathe. The lack of oxygen caused him to have a heart attack and he was gone before José came out of the Seven Eleven with the batteries. Not one news report announced that nine one one was the day Kegan returned to his God." --- Mouth Magazine (The entire article can be accessed from the link below.)
One of the better known characters from the Quadalajara Era was Larry Kegan. Injured in a diving accident while still in his teens, Kegan made his way down to Mexico from Minnesota circa 1960 and soon after founded the popular "Gimp camp" (as the guys affectionately referred to them), Hacienda Las Fuentes.
I had heard the name Larry Kegan a number of times from friends of mine who had been friends of his. At that time, Kegan was sort of famous because he knew someone famous. Kegan was close friends with singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. They had been friends since their early teens (and remained lifelong friends til the end). In fact, Dylan made at least one trip to Quadalajara to visit his quadriplegic buddy.
Kegan had married and left Mexico in favor of Florida five years before I arrived. I still have a letter from Hacienda Las Fuentes, dated February 1971, signed by Paul Patino. Since Patino helped Kegan run the Hacienda Las Fuentes operation, and took over after Kegan departed for the States, Hacienda Las Fuentes was simply known as "Patino's Place" for years after. My letter was the standard response to the countless inquires from VA hospital patients and shut-ins from all over the US and beyond.
I met Larry Kegan in 1974. He stopped by Joe Anderson's house in the first wheelchair adapted van I remember seeing in Mexico. I happened to be house-sitting while Anderson, well known in his own right for being a magnet for pretty senoritas, just happened to be in the States with his latest teen-aged girlfriend. Kegan was looking for a girl. Who wasn't? I introduced him to a friend who had stopped by for a visit. After they briefly chatted in his van, Alicia came back into the house. No chemistry, I guess, and Larry Kegan drove off into the sunset. (OK, not exactly into the sunset, and Kegan's attendant did the driving.)
While researching my book, I learned more about Larry Kegan from both people who knew him well, and old newsletter and magazine articles. Although I lived in Quadalajara for a number of years, I had never heard of the Alliance For Compassion (a group of some 30 American quadriplegics and paraplegics, of which Kegan was a member, who donated time and funds to help children at the Hospicio Cabanas Orphanage). And I doubt that many people remember/know that Larry Kegan once taught English to the Instituto Cabanas girls' choir and once accompanied them on a stateside trip with stops at Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and the Long Beach VA Hospital. QUADALAJARA --- The Utopia That Once Was (Page 323).
This colorful character from the early Quadalajara Era, who accomplished much and contributed much to the community that embraced him, went on to have a most interesting life post-Quadalajara.
And, if any of you happen to know Bob Dylan or how to contact him, there's a book on my desk with "his name on it"!
http://www.mouthmag.com/issues/69/no69pg28.htm
"On nine one one, while the whole of America froze in fear and shock from the final acts of those true believers, Larry Kegan wasn't able to get his tracheotomy suctioned; he couldn't breathe. The lack of oxygen caused him to have a heart attack and he was gone before José came out of the Seven Eleven with the batteries. Not one news report announced that nine one one was the day Kegan returned to his God." --- Mouth Magazine (The entire article can be accessed from the link below.)
One of the better known characters from the Quadalajara Era was Larry Kegan. Injured in a diving accident while still in his teens, Kegan made his way down to Mexico from Minnesota circa 1960 and soon after founded the popular "Gimp camp" (as the guys affectionately referred to them), Hacienda Las Fuentes.
I had heard the name Larry Kegan a number of times from friends of mine who had been friends of his. At that time, Kegan was sort of famous because he knew someone famous. Kegan was close friends with singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. They had been friends since their early teens (and remained lifelong friends til the end). In fact, Dylan made at least one trip to Quadalajara to visit his quadriplegic buddy.
Kegan had married and left Mexico in favor of Florida five years before I arrived. I still have a letter from Hacienda Las Fuentes, dated February 1971, signed by Paul Patino. Since Patino helped Kegan run the Hacienda Las Fuentes operation, and took over after Kegan departed for the States, Hacienda Las Fuentes was simply known as "Patino's Place" for years after. My letter was the standard response to the countless inquires from VA hospital patients and shut-ins from all over the US and beyond.
I met Larry Kegan in 1974. He stopped by Joe Anderson's house in the first wheelchair adapted van I remember seeing in Mexico. I happened to be house-sitting while Anderson, well known in his own right for being a magnet for pretty senoritas, just happened to be in the States with his latest teen-aged girlfriend. Kegan was looking for a girl. Who wasn't? I introduced him to a friend who had stopped by for a visit. After they briefly chatted in his van, Alicia came back into the house. No chemistry, I guess, and Larry Kegan drove off into the sunset. (OK, not exactly into the sunset, and Kegan's attendant did the driving.)
While researching my book, I learned more about Larry Kegan from both people who knew him well, and old newsletter and magazine articles. Although I lived in Quadalajara for a number of years, I had never heard of the Alliance For Compassion (a group of some 30 American quadriplegics and paraplegics, of which Kegan was a member, who donated time and funds to help children at the Hospicio Cabanas Orphanage). And I doubt that many people remember/know that Larry Kegan once taught English to the Instituto Cabanas girls' choir and once accompanied them on a stateside trip with stops at Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and the Long Beach VA Hospital. QUADALAJARA --- The Utopia That Once Was (Page 323).
This colorful character from the early Quadalajara Era, who accomplished much and contributed much to the community that embraced him, went on to have a most interesting life post-Quadalajara.
And, if any of you happen to know Bob Dylan or how to contact him, there's a book on my desk with "his name on it"!
http://www.mouthmag.com/issues/69/no69pg28.htm
posted by Jack at 4:48 PM
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